Went for a ride on Friday evening
2003 Cannondale R500 (80mm headshock, v-brakes, 23.5lb) - £250 off clssifides, needed an £8 fork boot.
Specialized roadie shoes £20 off classifides
520 SPD's £20 off merlin (frivilous, it came with SPD's, buy they were silver, these are black!)
PX overshoes and gloves £20 (beanie not needed)
£5 diadora trackie bottoms from socker world
Aldi LS top and windstopper £10 and £15
£30 homebrew LED lights, about 400-460lumen.
Giro E2 helmet £45 (new, boxed off classifides, missing peak) ok, this isnt the cheepest bit of kit and SH helmets are rarely advisable.
Compared to my other bike, I dont think it was any less fun,
yes the forks are like a pogo stick, but theres an elastometer to stop top/bottom out, and they stop my palms going numb on the bumpy bits.
Yes V's don't work in mud, but my ridings progressed enough for them to be used less anyway, and I've learnt to drift.
Yes it only has a deore cassette,
Yes the shoes would have been useless on a muddy bank (that'll teach me to climb properly)
All in all, a very plesent few hours blasting arround the local singletrack, for considderably less than the cost of my other bikes forks!
ohh, and the bike came with a nealry new set of conti supersonic XC race tires for when it's not so muddy! At RRP they'r probably the value of all the accessories put together!